Nayan Dhumal
Keyword research sounds technical, but it comes down to one question: what exactly do people type into Google, and can your blog be the best answer for it? This guide walks you through the whole process in seven steps, using free tools, with no jargon left unexplained.
A lot of new bloggers skip keyword research. They write about whatever comes to mind, publish it and wait for visitors who never arrive. The posts may be good. The trouble is that nobody is searching for them, or thousands of bigger sites already cover the same thing.
Keyword research fixes that. It tells you which topics people are looking for, what they expect to find, and where a small blog has a real chance of ranking. Done well, it also hands you a list of posts to write for the next few months.
You do not need paid software to begin. Everything in this guide can be done with free tools and a spreadsheet.
Key takeaways
- A keyword is simply the phrase someone types into a search engine. Research means finding the phrases your readers use.
- Search intent matters more than search volume. Match the kind of page people want, or you will not rank.
- New blogs should target long-tail keywords: longer, more specific phrases with less competition.
- Always look at the actual search results before you decide to write. They show you what Google rewards and who you are up against.
- Give each post one main keyword, and never aim two posts at the same one.
- Free tools are enough to start: Google’s own suggestions, Keyword Planner, Trends and Search Console.
What is keyword research?
A keyword is any word or phrase a person types, or speaks, into a search engine. “Banana bread recipe” is a keyword. So is “how to fix a slow WordPress site” and “best budget laptop for students”.
Keyword research is the process of finding those phrases, understanding what the searcher wants, and choosing the ones worth writing about. It answers three questions:
- What are people searching for in my niche?
- How many people search for it, roughly?
- How hard would it be for my site to appear on the first page?
The goal is not to trick a search engine. It is to make sure the posts you spend hours writing match something real people are looking for.
Four terms to know first
You will meet these four terms in every tool and tutorial. Here is what they mean in plain language.
| Term | What it means | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Search volume | An estimate of how many times a phrase is searched each month | Shows how much demand there is. Treat it as a rough guide, not an exact count. |
| Keyword difficulty | A tool’s estimate of how hard it is to rank on the first page | Helps you avoid topics dominated by large sites. Each tool calculates it differently. |
| Search intent | The reason behind the search: to learn, to find a site, to compare or to buy | Decides what kind of page you need to write. |
| Long-tail keyword | A longer, more specific phrase, usually with lower volume | Easier to rank for, and the searcher knows exactly what they want. |
A quick word on the numbers. Search volumes are estimates, and two tools will often show different figures for the same phrase. Use them to compare one keyword with another, not as a promise of traffic.
Step by step: how to do keyword research
Open a blank spreadsheet with these columns: Keyword, Intent, Volume, Competition notes, Post idea. You will fill it in as you go.
Start with seed topics
Seed topics are the broad subjects your blog covers. They are too general to rank for, but they are where every keyword idea begins.
Write down five to ten of them. If your blog is about home coffee brewing, your seeds might be espresso machines, pour-over coffee, coffee beans, grinders and milk frothing. If you have not settled on a subject for your blog yet, read my guide to profitable blog niches for beginners first.
Then think like your reader. What problems do they have? What do they ask in forums, comment sections and social groups? Add those questions to your list in the words they use, not the words an expert would use.
Expand your seeds with Google itself
Google shows you what people search for, if you know where to look. Take each seed topic and collect ideas from four places.
- Autocomplete. Start typing your topic into the search box and note the suggestions that appear. Try adding a letter after the phrase (“pour over coffee a”, “pour over coffee b”) or a question word before it (“how”, “why”, “which”, “can”).
- People also ask. This box on the results page lists related questions. Click one and more appear. Each question is a possible subheading or a post of its own.
- Related searches. Scroll to the bottom of the results page for more phrases linked to your search.
- The results themselves. Look at the titles of the pages that rank. They tell you which angles already work.
Paste everything into your spreadsheet. Do not judge the ideas yet. At this stage you want a long, messy list.
Pro tip
Do this research in a private or incognito browser window. Your normal window shows results shaped by your own search history and location, which can give you a misleading picture of what other people see.
Add ideas from free keyword tools
A few free tools will widen your list and add rough numbers.
- Google Keyword Planner. It is part of Google Ads and free to use with an account. Enter a seed topic and it suggests related keywords with search volume shown in ranges.
- Google Trends. It shows whether interest in a topic is rising, falling or seasonal, and lets you compare two phrases against each other.
- Google Search Console. If your blog already has some posts, the Performance report lists the searches you are already appearing for. Keywords where you sit on page two are often the easiest wins. My Search Console guide for beginners shows you how to set it up and read that report.
- Free versions of paid tools. Several well-known SEO tools offer free keyword generators or a limited number of free searches per day. Their limits change often, so check each tool’s site for what is currently included.
Add the new ideas to your sheet, and fill in the Volume column where you have a figure.
Work out the search intent
This is the step that makes the biggest difference, and the one beginners most often skip. Search intent is the reason behind a search. If your page does not match it, Google is unlikely to rank you, however good your writing is.
There are four main types:
| Intent | The searcher wants to | Example keyword | Page that fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Informational | Learn something | how to clean an espresso machine | A how-to guide or explanation |
| Navigational | Reach a specific site | gmail login | The brand’s own page. Not worth targeting. |
| Commercial | Compare options before buying | best espresso machine for beginners | A comparison, review or best-of list |
| Transactional | Buy or sign up now | buy breville bambino plus | A product or sales page |
To find the intent, search for the keyword and look at what ranks. If the first page is full of step-by-step guides, write a guide. If it is full of product lists, a single opinion piece will struggle. The results are Google’s own summary of what searchers want.
Fill in the Intent column for every keyword you are still interested in. Delete the navigational ones.
Check the competition on page one
Difficulty scores are a useful first filter, but nothing replaces looking at the results yourself. For each promising keyword, open the first page and ask:
- Are the top results from huge, well-known sites, or do smaller blogs and forums appear too?
- Do the pages actually answer the question, or do they only touch on it?
- Are the results old or thin? Could you write something clearer and more complete?
- Do forum threads or community answers rank? That often means no good article exists yet.
- Do ads, shopping results or videos fill most of the screen, pushing the normal results down?
A keyword is a good target for a new blog when smaller sites already rank for it, or when the existing answers are weak. If every result is a major brand with a detailed guide, note the keyword for later and move on.
Choose your keywords
Now pick. For a new blog, the best keywords usually have these qualities:
- Specific. Three or more words, describing a clear need.
- Relevant. Closely tied to what your blog is about and what you can genuinely help with.
- Winnable. The first page includes sites of a similar size to yours, or weak answers.
- Worth it. Enough people search for it, or the few who do are valuable, for example because they are close to buying.
Do not dismiss a keyword because a tool shows low volume. Tools often underestimate long-tail phrases, and a single post usually ranks for many related searches at once. A post aimed at a phrase with modest volume can bring in far more visitors than the number suggests.
In the same way, do not chase a keyword only because the volume is high. “Coffee” has enormous volume and no clear intent. “How to descale a coffee machine with vinegar” has a fraction of it and a reader who needs exactly one thing.
Map one main keyword to each post
Give every planned post one main keyword and a few closely related ones. Write them in your sheet next to a working title.
The rule to remember is one main keyword per page, and one page per main keyword. If two of your posts target the same phrase, they compete with each other and both can end up ranking worse. This is called keyword cannibalisation. When two keywords mean the same thing and show the same results in Google, they belong in the same post.
Group the rest of your list into topics. A group of related posts that link to one another, built around one broad guide, helps readers go deeper and helps search engines see that your site covers the subject properly.
A worked example
Suppose your blog is about home coffee brewing and one of your seed topics is “pour over coffee”. After the first three steps, your list might include these phrases.
| Keyword | Intent | What page one looks like | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| pour over coffee | Informational, very broad | Large coffee brands and major publications | Too competitive for now |
| best pour over coffee maker | Commercial | Big review sites, long product lists | Later, once the blog has authority |
| pour over coffee ratio for one cup | Informational | A mix of small blogs and a forum thread | Write this first |
| why is my pour over coffee bitter | Informational | Short answers, forum threads | Write this second |
| pour over vs french press | Commercial and informational | Medium-sized blogs | Good third post |
Notice the pattern. The broad phrase goes on the “later” list. The specific questions, where small sites and forums already appear, become your first posts. Each one has a clear intent, so you know what kind of page to write before you start.
Where to put your keyword in the post
Once you have chosen a keyword, use it naturally in the places where search engines and readers look first.
- The post title, ideally near the start.
- The URL, kept short. For example /pour-over-coffee-ratio/.
- The first paragraph.
- At least one subheading, where it fits naturally.
- The meta description, which can encourage people to click.
- The alt text of an image, if the image really shows that subject.
After that, write for the reader. Use related words and answer the follow-up questions people have. You do not need to repeat the exact phrase a set number of times, and forcing it into every paragraph makes the post worse.
Watch out
Repeating a keyword unnaturally to try to rank is called keyword stuffing. It makes your writing hard to read and goes against Google’s spam policies. If a sentence sounds odd when you read it aloud, take the keyword out.
Mistakes beginners make
Most keyword research goes wrong in one of a few predictable ways.
- Targeting only high-volume keywords. They look attractive and are usually out of reach for a new site.
- Ignoring intent. Writing a tutorial for a keyword where people want a product list, or the other way round.
- Trusting the numbers too much. Volume and difficulty are estimates. The results page is the evidence.
- Skipping the results page. Two minutes of looking saves hours of writing a post that cannot rank.
- Writing several posts for the same keyword. They compete with each other. Combine them.
- Researching forever. A spreadsheet of 500 keywords earns nothing. Choose ten and start writing.
- Never looking back. Search Console shows what your posts actually rank for. Use it to update old posts and to find new ideas.
What to do after keyword research
A keyword list is only a plan. Here is how to turn it into traffic.
- Sort your list. Put the easiest, most relevant keywords at the top.
- Plan a month of posts. Choose four to eight keywords and give each a working title and a publishing date.
- Write the best answer on the page. Study what ranks, then make yours clearer, more complete and easier to follow.
- Link your posts together. Each new post should link to related ones, and older posts should link to the new one.
- Review after a few months. Check Search Console to see which searches each post appears for, and improve the posts that are close to the first page.
Be patient with the results. New posts on a new site often take months to settle into their positions, so judge your research over a season, not a week.
Not started your blog yet?
Keyword research only pays off once you have somewhere to publish. Set up your blog first, then come back to your keyword list.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do keyword research for free?
Yes. Google’s autocomplete, the “People also ask” box, related searches, Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends and Google Search Console cost nothing and are enough for a new blog. Paid tools save time and give more detailed data, but you do not need them to start.
What is a good search volume for a new blog?
There is no single right number. For a new site, a specific keyword with low or modest volume and weak competition is usually a better target than a popular keyword dominated by large sites. Remember that volume figures are estimates and that one post normally ranks for many related searches.
What is a long-tail keyword?
A longer, more specific search phrase, such as “how to clean a burr coffee grinder without water” instead of “coffee grinder”. Long-tail keywords have fewer searches each, but they are easier to rank for and the searcher’s need is clear.
How many keywords should one blog post target?
One main keyword, supported by a handful of closely related phrases and questions. If two phrases show almost the same results in Google, treat them as the same topic and cover them in one post.
How long does it take to rank for a keyword?
It varies widely with the competition, the quality of your post and the age and reputation of your site. On a new blog it commonly takes months, not days. Low-competition long-tail keywords tend to move fastest.
Do I need to repeat the keyword many times in the post?
No. Use it in the title, the URL, the introduction and a subheading where it fits, then write naturally. Covering the topic thoroughly and answering related questions matters more than the number of times the exact phrase appears.